Beginning on February 1, 2016, bar and resto bar operators will be required to give their customers a bill generated using a sales-recording module (SRM) for all property and services supplied in their establishments.

The new measures will be implemented progressively, giving bar and resto bar operators approximately five months—from September 2, 2015, to January 31, 2016—to acquire and install the necessary equipment. This means that customers could start receiving bills as early as September in bars and resto bars that activate their SRMs before the February 1, 2016, deadline.

Subsidy program 

Bar and resto bar operators will have access to a subsidy program to cover some of the costs related to purchasing, installing and updating the equipment needed to comply with the new measures.

In order to be eligible for the program, operators must acquire, install and activate their SRMs between April 21, 2015, and January 31, 2016. It is to their advantage, however, to act early—the amount of the subsidy is equal to 80% of the eligible expenses if the SRM is activated before December 1, 2015.

For more information, click Mandatory Billing in the Restaurant Sector.